New brands are popping up on Twitter daily and the high-end CE industry is no exception. Whether it's a large audio manufacturer, a high-end dealer, trade show representatives or simply a fellow publication, Twitter is primarily being utilized by companies that want to broadcast news or link potential customers to their home page.

Most brands are simply using Twitter to make sure new and existing customers have an alternative method to finding them, but there are savvy, intelligent brands within our industry that are using Twitter as more than a simple soapbox. These companies have figured out that it doesn’t matter how many Twitter followers you have, but rather how you interact with them in a meaningful, impacting way to ensure future success.

Regardless of all the social networking methods out there, there’s no method of communication that allows such intimate access to a business or brand quite like Twitter. Here are five high end CE companies that we believe are on the cutting edge of social networking communication via Twitter:

Crestron Electronics

Who are they: Crestron Electronics manufacturers a variety of automation and a/v controllers incorporated in residential and commercial installs.

Why They Excel: Crestron combines customer relations, company promotion and the occasional off-the-wall, personable tweet to interact and entertain their followers. They know how to search Twitter for mentions of their brand name and they try to bring those people mentioning Crestron into a potential conversation. Additionally, they directly promote this line of communication through the main website: http://www.crestron.com/contacts_and_links/social_networks/Favorite Twitter Client: Tweetdeck

Klipsch Audio

Who are they: Klipsch Audio is a manufacturer of consumer level and professional level speakers, sound systems and headphones.

Why They Excel: Klipsch knows when to re-tweet promotional articles & statements about the company. They use Twitter to keep their core customer base informed about their stock of speakers via their online webstore. They also make recommendations to Klipsch owners for better listening experiences. It’s a direct line of customer relations that not only encourages followers to ask questions, but they locate Klipsch chatter on Twitter to respond to.Favorite Twitter Client: Web interface

Bowers & Wilkins

Why They Excel: B&W doesn’t update as quickly as the other members of this list, but they do interact regularly with the community. They also promote contests giving away B&W products around the web. Most interestingly, they retweet articles regarding the high-end industry; yet don’t have anything directly to do with B&W products. They also link customers to their support staff on a regular basis.

Favorite Twitter Client: Tweetdeck

(Continue on for our last two picks and a list of tons of other a/v companies using Twitter.)

Control4

Why They Excel: Control4 provides fantastic customer support from their Twitter account. Nearly every tweet is designed to engage and interact with someone on Twitter. They re-tweet brand mentions and mix in the occasional link to an official Control4 blog post. It’s promotional, but provides a great source of Control4 information without becoming spam-like.

Favorite Twitter Client: Web interface

Sonos

Who are they: Sonos produces a sound system designed to provide multi-room audio across an entire household.

Why They Excel: Sonos excels at community interaction, especially when indirectly mentioned on Twitter. Their tweets highlight articles around the web mentioning Sonos and provide their own commentary about the music industry. As an added value to their core audience, they also provide links to legal free music tracks on the web. It’s extremely promotional, but there’s plenty of value to becoming a follower; especially if you are a fan of Sonos products.

Favorite Twitter Client: Tweetdeck

Here’s a short list of many manufacturers and brands that didn’t make our Top 5, but we love to follow on our Twitter account: